Isaiah Washington Returning to Grey’s Anatomy! Why and for How Long? (VIDEO)

Cristina Yang has been through a lot lately, and while we get that Shonda Rhimes wants to send Sandra Oh’s character out with a bang, the newest twist is shocking enough that someone might wanna call a crash cart. According to TVLine, a certain ex-fiancé is back in town, and we don’t know why.

You read that right: Isaiah Washington’sPreston Burke is swinging back to Grey Sloan Memorial, just in time for Cristina’s last couple episodes on the show she’s been a center of since day one. True Grey’s fans remember that last we saw Burke, he had peaced out of town, thanks to Yang standing him up — penned-on eyebrows and all — at the altar. IRL, Isaiah was fired after allegedly making homophobic remarks.

Before you start a letter-writing campaign, it’s not like Burke is back for good. TVLine’s Michael Ausiello says that he’ll be reprising his role just for one episode in May. Whether or not he’ll swoop in to help Cristina with her bags and stroll off into the sunset with her is yet to be seen. With Owen Hunt(Kevin McKidd) out of the picture, the door is open for new love. Though with only a few episodes left, bringing in a brand new suitor wouldn’t make sense. Only someone we already know could fill that slot... But the proximity to her final episode is mighty suspect.

“It’s important to me that Cristina’s journey unfolds exactly as it should,” Shonda said in a statement about Burke’s return. “Burke is vital to that journey — he gives her story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye to our beloved Cristina Yang.”

It’s interesting timing, though, since Isaiah just said on Tuesday that he was “glad” he was fired from Grey’s in 2007. His willingness to come back probably has something to do with the fact that the guy who kicked him out of the TV hospital recently hired him onto his new gig, playing the chancellor on The CW’s The 100. Plus, doesn’t everyone feel a little nostalgic, looking back on Yang’s years kickstarting hearts?

What do you think about Isaiah Washington returning to Grey’s Anatomy? Is it a cheap ploy to get fans to watch Sandra Oh’s last episode, or a necessary part of her character’s “journey”?